Automobile license plate holder



June 13, 1933. E. A. scAPLEN 1,913,773

AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATE HOLDER Filed March 18 1932 Illlih ff www am Patented `lune 13, 1933 UNITED STATES ERNEST A. scArLnN, or nnsrflnvivn, liyrzissnennsinrsf y: i'

AUTOMOBILE nronnsnl Appneation flied VMarch 1s,v '19:32.15ser1a11-n6.'$99,742. f-

The invention relates to licenseplate holders for motor driven vehicles, and has for its object to provide a device of this character wherein the plate is'housed in a casing 5 having a transparent face, which forms the double function of maintaining the license plate clean and visible at all times, thereby allowing the indicia on theplate to be easily read through the transparent member.

A further object is to form the casing with a shoulder, against which the transparent member enga es and to provide a yieldable packing mem er within the casing against the transparent member and shaped to re- V ceive therein the edges of the license plate for forming an air tight connection, thereby n,

excluding dust and foreign matter from the surface of the plate.

A further ob] ect is to provide the rear side of the casing with a bar in spaced relation to the license plate, anda leaf spring 'connected to the bar and yieldably engaging opposite ends of the license plate for forcing the same into close engagement with the packing member..

A further object is to provide one side of the frame at its rear end with an apertured ear adapted to register with an ear carried by the cross barfor the receptionv of a secur-l` ing bolt extending through the ears, and to provide the other end of the bar with a lug adapted to be received in an apertured ear at the opposite side of the frame. v

A further object is to provide the-bar with supporting means adapted to be received on a portion of the vehicle. Also to provide the supporting bar with an anti-wobbling or rattling device adapted to cooperate with the holder and plate and the support on which the device is mounted.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawing, described and claimed,

it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made` within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

. I:Figure lgfis ajviewinelevatijon of the license ta holder.' y," .jvg' TigureZ is arearview'of the holder. A j Figure Sisma horizontal .sectional view takenfonvline 3--3'of Figure 1.y l Figure 4@ 1 is at horizontalsectional view taken on linegl-foffFigure-l.. 'f l I Referring tol the drawing, the numeral 1 designatesthe1rectangularly shaped frame which mayy be' formed of. any-materiahfor instance inetah Y and 2, a., flange lin one side thereof, Disposed lwithin the -frame,.l, and against the Vflange 2 isa transparent member 3, preferably formed of glassthrough which theindicia 4,!on` thelicfense plate, maybe seen; Disposed within thefrfame 1 is a'recj tangularly .shaped packing strip I 6, preferably formed froml rubber, and ,which ,strip is .shaped in transverse cross section and has its flange 7 interposedbetween the transparent member, Sand the license plateh for forming. an. air-tight and 4 dust lproof-connection betweentherlicense tag and the trans-y parent memberiS-:and a-,cushion forprevent.- ing.rattlingan,l The other iiange 8' of the packin g, strip j .6* overlies. lthe edges ofy the license Plate, ,-51 freddtenally fermns @dust Proef connection, between, the Alicense plate and framelj and for.prgwpenting lateral movement ofgthlplate 'and nosewhenw Vehicle goes over rou h,` ground.`

.j lfllxtenv ing rearwardly (rearside ofthe iframe 1 atopposite;sidesthereof are apertured ears-9 and 10,' and to which `connected ya transverse barll, Y, One end of :the bar 11is providedl with an jangularly ,disposed apertured ear 12, whichv registers ,with the; apertured earY f9 and. is` connected thereto bymeans ofarbolt The otherendof the bar .terminates a lug 14 which is received withink theapertured ear 10, as clearly shown in Figure3,uther-efore it will belseen by rethe bolt.,13.bar y1 1 maybe easily movingn I removed. u Secured tov theinner side of V` the barfll is 'a' leaf spring 15, theends .16 o f 95 whichbear against the/rear side of the license plate l5 and force the same into engagement with the flange 7 of the packing strip 6 for forming the air tight connection.

Connected to the bar 11 are rearwardly ex- :1.90v

2;; y l V l 1,913,773

tending bolts 17, which may be connected to a portion 18 of the vehicle in any suitable manner, for instance the radiator or a bracket. Secured to the rear side of the bar 11 5 is a bracing bar 19, the upper end of which terminates in an arm 20, which extends to- Wardsand engages the rear .side of the license plate 5 as clearly shown in Figure 4. Threaded at 2l to the lower end of `the bar 19 and rotatably connected at 22 to a bracket 23, carried by the support 18, is an anti rattling screw 24, which when rotated will tilt the bar 19 slightly for applying pressure to the sign holder through the sign, thereby preventing rattling of the device or Wobblin'g.l The anti-rattling device may be connected in any suitable manner to" the machine, and may be in the form of a set screw for engaging a portion of the automobile. 2'0 From the above it willl benseen that a protecting casing is providedl for a license plate, which will protectv the same from dust and foreign matter sotha-t the license plate may be easily read from a distance and through a transparent member. It will also be seen that the license plate willform the back of they casing and an angularly shaped packing lstrip is provided? within the casing around the edges of the license plate whereby,'when pressure is applied to the rear of the plate, an airtight connection is formed between the plate,'they frame and the transparent member'. The invention having been set forth what is claimedr as new and useful is 1`. A license plate holder comprising a frame adapted to house a license plate, a transparent front wall carried by said frame, a-p'acki'ng strip connection between the license l plate, transparent front'k wall and frame, a 490 bar carried by the rear side ofy the frame, said spring interposed between the bar and license plate for forcing the same towards the packing strip, supporting means carried by the transverse bar, a vertical bar car- 4'5 ried by the transverse bar, an' arm carried i by` the vertical bar and engagingthe license plate and means cooperating with the vertical bar and with a support for steadying pur- Y poses.` l 2. A license plate holder as set forth in claim- 1 including aperturedears carried by the rear side ofthe frame, an apertured angularly disposed ear carried by one end of n the transverse bar, a bolt extending through said apertured ear ofthe bar and one of the ears of the frame, a lug carried by the other end of the bar, said lug being disposedv in the apertured ear at the other end of thev frame.

- In testimony whereof he hereunto aiiXes his signature.

' ERNEST A. SCAPLEN. 

